The Heartbeat Center

The Heartbeat Center

Sunday, July 25, 2010

3 Contacts and a Wedding

The Heartbeat's plans for Key Ingredients are beginning to take shape. We met with the Wisconsin Humanities Council to begin formulating the groundwork for writing a grant to work with Sister on our opening night ideas. They put us in touch with the folklorist Rick March who is interested in working as our scholar for the project. He will be a wonderful resource for us.

Scott and I will be attending the Imagination Conversations conference in Rhinelander on July 27-28, which we hope will provide us with ideas and possibilities to grow The Heartbeat. We've also completed our donation letter, and Scott created incentives for each level of giving.

During the past week Dee and Scott have been in contact with friends who may be able to provide some help and guidance with the Urban Eyes program.

Dr. Rebekah McCloud, from the University of Central Florida, is the director of UCF's Upward Bound program. This program works with disadvantaged high schoolers who show promise of succeeding in college if the necessary resources are provided.

DeWitt Green, director of Uplift Chess in Minnesota, believes playing chess teaches necessary life and decision-making skills. It is his goal to teach this art to students in local middle schools to help them make smart choices in the future.

We believe that Becky and DeWitt both have ideas that could be of great benefit to Urban Eyes.

Yesterday, we had the honor of attending Amber's wedding to Randy Samens. Amber was a beautiful bride and it was a refreshing sight to see the love that surrounded her as she left her family to make her own. We worried she wouldn't smile behind all of the tears. But, by the time she danced her unforgettable first dance with Randy, she was beaming. It was a beautiful day for a gorgeous young woman. We wish them nothing but the best. Now, we put her to work!